The basic objectives of this research are to develop a tissue culture model of skin-dorsal root ganglia which will be utilized to study the effects of herpes simplex virus infection and the role of various components of a host's immune system in altering the natural course of that infection. During this process we will determine the effect of these situations on the normal electrophysiology of the neurons. Eventually, this study may produce methods by which nonproductive or latent virus infections of neurons can be established in vitro and the mechanism of herpes virus latency in neurons discovered.